Agnes and Nick arrived at Richmond on Tuesday in their Tassie Motor Shacks campervan, and first thing they did was to call Tim McCulloch from the Richmond Village tourism.

Tim met them and they had coffee at Richmond Bakery. "We then visited Richmond Gaol, built in 1825 at 37 Bathurst St, very eerie place.

"It is remarkable because the gaol is preserved not restored and is in its original condition", Agnes said. "A famous inmate was Ikey Solomon, Isaac 'Ikey' Solomon (1785–1850). Ikey was an English criminal who became an extremely successful receiver of stolen property and is widely thought to be the model for the character Fagin in Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist", she said.

After being tried at the Old Bailey 1830, was sent to Richmond Gaol in 1832.

Richmond Gaol, as it is today, was built over a period of 15 years, between 1825 and 1840. The oldest part of the complex is the 1825 building which not only provided night and day quarters for the prisoners, but also housed the Gaoler.

Over the years more buildings were added; the Gaoler’s house in 1834, the cookhouse, solitary confinement cells and women’s quarters in 1835 and the surrounding wall in 1840.

Emma Martin offence

From 1877 until 1928 Richmond Gaol was utilised as the local lock-up and was then closed down.

It opened again in the 1940s as an historic site and visitor attraction.

Self-guided tours are open daily from 9am - 5pm

Admission: Adults: $8

Children: $4

Concession: $7 Family $20 (2 adults and children under 17).

Features:

Solitary confinement cells

Punishment cells

Chain gangs and convict holding rooms

Flogging yard and privy

Cookhouse with original oven

Gaol model

Visitor information and Site guide

Trail sheets for children

Souvenir and craft shop (free entry)

Old Hobart Town 2

"Old Hobart Town at 21A Bridge St is amazing, Andrew and John Quick took three years to plan, research and handcraft every aspect of this model village", Agnes said.

The multi award winning model village depicts life in Hobart in the 1820’s. It is open seven days from 9am to 5pm. (Except Christmas Day).

Designed and built from actual historical plans, the model village is an accurate representation of Hobart in the early 1800’s. There are more than 60 buildings and 500 individually crafted unique figurines.

The owners and creators, John and Andrew Quick, spent many thousands of hours creating a high quality slice of Australia’s history, which is complimented by their skills in horticulture, as the gardens and surroundings demonstrate.

Children especially love hunting around the village for the many hidden “scenes” where life is being acted out just as it was almost 200 years ago, and a search challenge is issued to any interested child with keen eyes.

Careful Bonsai techniques have been employed to give the trees in the village a realistic appearance, even the fallen ones look real. Amazingly John and Andrew planted the realistic trees in the model village at the same time as the trees in the surrounding gardens.

Old Hobart Town model village includes a visitor centre, gift shop and toilet facilities which are all sheltered within a beautiful native garden setting. All facilities are wheelchair accessible.

Admission:

Adults – $ 14

Families

(2 Adults, 1 child under 18) – $ 30

(2 Adults, 2 children under 18) – $ 32

(2 Adults, 3 children under 18) – $ 35

(Under 4) – FREE

Students

Under 18 – $ 3.50

Under 25 – $ 5.50

Aggie and Nick camped in their Tassie Motor Shacks campervan at Richmond Caravan and Cabin Park Aggie says it is a lovely park, with all the mod cons, camp kitchen, tennis court, and playground.

"There are sweeping views of wineries and mountains and the caravan park is just a few minutes from Richmond Village", she says.

Tim McCulloch and Agnes at Richmond Bakery Cafe

"Richmond is an absolute tourist Mecca, there is so much to see", Agnes said. "It is also a wine lovers paradise".

"Richmond is very central:

Hobart 25 mins.

Mona 25 minutes.

The Huon 40 minutes.

Maria Island Ferry 50 minutes.

Bruny Island Ferry 1 hour.

Port Arthur1.1 hours".

"Richmond Cabin and Tourist Park is in one of Tasmania's most popular destinations. The Richmond Caravan & Cabin park offers a range of accommodation. Cabins are set in an idyllic setting close to all the caravan park facilities. They sleep up to five people, have kitchen facilities and easy access to communal amenities", Agnes said.

For caravanners and campers the caravan park offer ensuite sites and powered and unpowered sites, and can handle large caravans and even buses. Most sites have partial sun/shade, and if possible the managers are happy for guests to choose their preferred site.

There is a heated indoor swimming pool, games room, and half court tennis. Pets are allowed with site bookings.

The Richmond Caravan and Cabin Park is located just a short walk from the main Richmond village.

"Richmond's most famous landmark is the Richmond Bridge which was built in 1823, around thetime of the town's first settlement. It remains Australia's oldest bridge still in daily use", Agnes said.

Barilla Bay Holiday Park sites

"Barilla Holiday Park is another caravan park in a beautiful setting at Cambridge 15.5km from Richmond", Agnes says - "The Barilla Holiday Park is amazing!" "They have put put mini golf, and hot pools available to the public as well as guests, and they have a pizza bar, icecream, wine, café just inside the door as well", she said.

Barilla accommodation options include two bedroom cabins with various layouts, to suit 2 couples, singles or families, open plan cabins with ensuite and standard cabins for the budget conscious.

There are a variety of Powered Sites to suit all types of vans, campers and buses, as well as Unpowered sites for tents. Barilla Holiday Park is a great family friendly place to stay, with many things for the kids and adults to do.

Barilla and nearby attractions include:

Dine at Barilla and discover the many attractions and fine restaurants.

Many of the Coal Valley Wineries are within a few minutes drive, including: Coal Valley Vineyard,

Craigow, Meadowbank and Palmara.

The nearby Barilla oyster farm harvests arguably the best Pacific Oysters in the world.

Hobart Airport is within five minutes drive

2 Golf Courses, one a public course, and a driving range.

Scenic flights by helicopter and fixed wing aircraft can take you from Cambridge to anywhere in

Tasmania. Nearby beaches offer options from safe swimming for littlies to the best surf around.

Pooley Wines cellar door entrance

Pooley Wines won the 2012 Tasmanian Vineyard of theYear Award and has a historic property Belmont Lodge at Richmond and two vineyards in the Coal River Valley in Southern Tasmania.

Three generations of the Pooley family have been involved in the business which is built on the Coal River Valley climates world reputation for producing cool climate wines of distinction in Pinot, Reisling and Chardonnay. Pooley Wines is the first Tasmanian vineyard to achieve certification under EntWine Australia. The company was independently audited in 2013 using the Freshcare Environmental Vineyard Certification program and now has full membership of Entwine Australia.

“When we test our soils, we don’t just look at nutrient and structure", Matthew Pooley Viticulturalist and Co-Manager of Pooley Wines said.

"We also test our soil biology to make sure that we have healthy, living soils that are so important for strong vines and great wines".

"We continue to work to control weeds, including African Boxthorn and Willows, and have replanted native species in designated reserve areas on our property", he said.

“Pooley Wines is a family business, and protecting the environment that we operate in will make sure that we keep both our business and our vines in peak condition for the next generation of Pooleys,” Matthew Pooley said.

Pooley Wines was established in 1985 when the late Denis and Margaret Pooley planted 10 rows of Riesling and seven rows of Pinot Noir on their 16-hectare farm at Cooinda Vale in the Coal River Valley in southern Tasmania.

Today, after more than 20 years of producing premium quality cool-climate wines, and having been awarded numerous trophies and medals at prestigious wine shows, the Pooley family has established a second vineyard in the Coal River Valley at Richmond.

Belmont Lodge is a fine two storey Georgian stone house built in 1832 by a Hobart wine dealer, Benjamin Guy.

A book of the finest private colonial estates in Tasmania, by Alice Bennett and Georgia Warner, was published in 2009. Belmont Lodge is one of the 26 properties featured.

Editor's Note: From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia: Dickens took Fagin's name from a friend he had known in his youth while working in a boot-blacking factory. Fagin's character was based on the criminal Ikey Solomon, who was a fence at the centre of a highly-publicised arrest, escape, recapture, and trial.

Some accounts of Solomon also describe him as a London underworld "kidsman" (a kidsman was an adult who recruited children and trained them as pickpockets, exchanging food and shelter for goods the children stole). The popularity of Dickens's novel caused "fagin" to replace "kidsman" in some crime circles, denoting an adult who teaches minors to steal and keeps a major portion of the loot.

Fagin is noted for being one of the few characters of 19th century English literature, let alone any of Dickens's pieces, who is described as Jewish. Fagin has been the subject of much debate over antisemitism both during Dickens's lifetime and up to modern times.

The London Dail Mail reported in December 2011 that - "It is also possible that Dickens may have come up with the miserly money grabbing Fagin - whom he projected as Jewish - after reading a (newspaper) article of a black gang master in Victorian London". Dickens based many of his characters on newspaper articles. The Times January 14,1834 report on Edward Trabshaw is the basis of the Daily Mail report.

Richmond Maze and Tearooms at 13 Bridge St gets fun lovers lost in a tangle of pathways and deadends seven days a week from 9am to 5pm.

The experience, 25 minutes drive from the Tasmanian capital Hobart, works for all ages.

There are two mazes and adventurers lost in maze space find a surprise at the centre. Finding the middle of the second maze is a test as is getting out. But children get a free lollie after they solve the maze riddle.

The quaint Tearooms are worth a visit, regardless of whether the maze challenge is taken up or not. The food is good, and there are notable scones with jam and cream, all day breakfasts, tea and coffee.

The Tearooms menu has plenty of choices and great blackboard specials. There is also plenty of parking for large campervans, motorhomes or caravans.

For more information contact: Garth Morrison Editor Go See Australia and Go See New Zealand DirectoryEmail: garth@contact.com.au

Feeding the birds at Richmond Bridge

Entry to Richmond Bakery

Pooley Wines outdoor cafe

Camp Kitchen at Richmond Caravan Park

Old Hobart Town 3

Views from Richmond Caravan Park

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